Matéria Nova: A New Age in Portuguese Ceramics

Portuguese ceramics have long been central to the country’s cultural identity, yet contemporary practices remain underrepresented in institutional, curatorial, and critical frameworks. Despite growing international attention, emerging Portuguese ceramicists often lack visibility within galleries, museums, and broader art discourse. Matéria Nova: A New Age in Portuguese Ceramics addresses this gap through research, studio visits, artist interviews, and the design of a conceptual group exhibition featuring seven emerging artists from the country’s main Fine Arts programs (FBAUL, FBAUP, and ESAD.CR).

The project traces key developments in contemporary Portuguese ceramics, examining how new generations engage with clay as both material and concept, and situates these practices within broader discussions between art, craft, and design. It also develops a curatorial framework and visual identity system, designed to communicate effectively with international audiences while remaining adaptable and scalable for different contexts. The visual language balances contemporary clarity with subtle references to Portuguese ceramic heritage, ensuring the artworks themselves remain central.

Beatriz Salvador @ Salvador Media acted as researcher, curator, and designer, integrating exhibition planning with editorial and branding design. This included the selection of artists, studio visits and interviews, development of visual identity and communication materials, and mockups for exhibition layouts. While the physical exhibition space was not finalized during the research period, the project established a replicable model for presenting Portuguese ceramics internationally, offering strategies for storytelling, hierarchy, and narrative cohesion across media.

Matéria Nova responds to ongoing challenges in Portuguese ceramics: limited curatorial expertise, few dedicated exhibition spaces, and uneven representation in the broader art world. By foregrounding emerging artists and proposing a coherent, internationally oriented framework, the project aims to advance the visibility of contemporary Portuguese ceramics and provide a foundation for future exhibitions, research, and international collaborations.

Supervisors: Prof. Marta Castelo and Prof. Rasmus Giesel